


Halloween; 1984

by lgbt80s



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Anxiety, Body Image, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hearing Voices, M/M, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Sexuality Crisis, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 16:57:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14313138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lgbt80s/pseuds/lgbt80s
Summary: "...When Mike is walking Will home, Will is still very shaken up over what had happened; when they’re close enough to Wills' house, Mike takes his hand and tells him that he’ll be okay, Will expects Mike to let go; and when he doesn’t, Will believes that things can be okay..."





	1. Deep Thoughts

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my very first fic on AO3!  
> I hope you enjoy this pure fluffy (and angsty) tale 
> 
> *the characters are the same age as in the show but this is pure fluff so there will be no smut whatsoever*
> 
> okay thank you enjoy! <3
> 
> \- j (they/them)

The cold breeze blew through his straight brown hair as he made his way down the long dirt driveway to his house in the trees. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he felt the cold on the tip of his nose, his chest warm and bubbly.

* * *

 

“Will! Hurry up! I don’t want you going out too late!” his mother shouts frantically the moment he steps into the warm house.

 

“Yeah buddy, don’t wanna miss out on all the good candies,” winks Bob.

 

“Yeah, sorry guys, Mr. Clarke was showing us some new radio equipment he bought for himself and we lost track of time,” Will said, in a calm tone in order to relax his always stressed mother.

 

“O-Okay, just call next time okay? Now, go get washed up.” Joyce smiled, her shoulders slowly falling.

 

Showers had become less fun over the years. He had recently been overthinking every curve and every blemish on his skin, thinking they made him unlikable, his height and upper body strength had been a topic of discussion in his mind as well, he didn't want anything bad to get him again, it made him feel weaker than he already thought...  

 

Will remembered being really little and loving the feeling of a warm bath, his toys surrounding him, his mother smiling and asking Jonathan to take pictures of Will with his “Santa soap beard”.

 

Will smiled at the memory as he washed his back, trying to avoid looking at his thin body. 

 

He poured a little bit more shampoo on his head, wondering why the strawberry image on the bottle looked like it could be so delicious. He closed his eyes and scrubbed, while he began washing out the pink foam; he couldn't help but let his mind wander to the dark brown eyes of someone he was to see in a few hours.

* * *

 

“Oh honey it’s perfect! The best Egon Spengler since Harold Ramis himself!” Joyce beamed, Bob beside her adjusting his fangs every two minutes it seemed.

 

Will blushed and smiled wide for the camera in front of him, he was used to always being in front of some camera in his home; his mother was a big believer in capturing moments to remember forever. 

 

“Mom we have to go! I know you’ll want more pictures later with all of us and our candy!” Will smirked, Joyce scrunched her nose at him and let out a soft ‘okay’.

* * *

 

“You excited for all the candy you’re gonna get tonight?” Jonathan asked happily, fiddling with the radio dials before choosing a station that was playing Tom Sawyer by Rush.

 

“...Huh?” Will turned his head from the window to look at his older brother, a soft pink glowing from his cheeks.

 

“Where’d you go, man?” Jonathan asked, halting his finger taps to glance over at Will.

 

“N-Nowhere, I was just mapping out t-the plan for tonight! Lucas said we should try to come up with one before meeting together so we can all put in our opinion - but honestly Dustin is probably gonna get the last word.” Will babbled on, trying to distract the warm feeling in his chest that hasn’t left since this morning at school. The truth was he remembering he would get to see Mike again in his Ghostbusters costume, he knew they were all relatively the same, but somehow seeing it on Mike made his chest feel warm.

 

“You guys really go all out on this don’t cha’?” Jonathan asked, still cautiously glancing over at his younger brother.

 

“Yep, always have!”

 

_ “Go all out…”  _ Will wondered.

 


	2. More Than a Crush?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...When Mike is walking Will home, Will is still very shaken up over what had happened; when they’re close enough to Wills' house, Mike takes his hand and tells him that he’ll be okay, Will expects Mike to let go; and when he doesn’t, Will believes that things can be okay..."

* * *

Mike had just finished putting on his costume and was fixing his hair when he heard; “Mike, you little asshole!” Nancy shouted from across the hallway, stomping her way into his room.

 

“Did you take more of my money?” Nancy demanded, her hair wet from the shower she stepped out of ten minutes prior.

 

“Not since the arcade…” Mike responded, trying to remember where he left his wallet.

 

“I don’t believe you,” Nancy said, crossing her arms and blocking the doorway.

 

“Nancy, I have to go, everyone is probably at the meeting spot by now, can’t we argue about this later?” Mike huffed, getting antsy if he didn’t get downstairs within the next five minutes.

 

“You’re not going anywhere until I get my money douchbag!” Nancy threatened, her lips pursed.

 

“Nancy! Let your brother go, I don’t want him getting back too late!” their mother shouted from downstairs, getting little Holly into her bright bumblebee costume.

“Fine, I don’t have time to yell at you anymore anyways, Steve is picking me up soon” Nancy huffed, walking away and flipping her hair.

 

Mike shut his door and walked over to his closet, pulling out his backpack, rustling through the endless amount of papers with fractions he should have turned in two days ago; once he found what he was looking for, he opened the leather wallet to reveal a few crumpled up bills, straightening them out before shoving them back where they were and putting it all in his back pocket. As he grabbed his pillow case he rehearsed one more time at his own reflection in the mirror, “Hey El, want to grab a milkshake after trick or treating? J-Just us?”

* * *

 

By 9pm all of them had filled their pillow cases halfway with candy.

 

Max, Lucas, and Dustin were ahead talking about their favourite candies.

 

Dustin was speaking very passionately about three musketeers candy bars when Mike asked, “Do you know what time El is coming? It’s pretty late already.”

 

“You didn’t hear? She couldn’t go out tonight because Hopper needed her to help him with some police work. I’m sure we can share some candy with her tomorrow at lunch though” Will responded, his candy bag in one hand and a large video camera in the other, he wondered if it made him look smaller.

 

“No, I-I didn’t hear…” Mike said, his voice softening near the end of his sentence.

 

“Y-You were hoping to see her tonight?” Will asked, staring at his shoes.

 

“Yeah, I wanted to- Nothing…” Mike said, walking ahead past Will.

 

Will couldn’t help but wonder if Mike’s crush on Jane was turning into something more.

* * *

 

It all happened so fast, too fast, he couldn't remember when Mike had come in to save him. The last thing he remembered was Mike walking off after talking about Jane, next thing he knew he was sitting on the ground by some steps, shaking and sweating.

"Will! Will!! Are you okay? I'm right here, Will; I'm here." Mike reassured, placing his hands softly on Will's shoulders.

"What happened?!" Lucas asked almost breathless.

"Nothing, I'm gonna take Will home, you guys can keep going. I got him." Mike said, wrapping his arm around Will's shoulders, blushing softly when Will put an arm around his waist.

* * *

 

"What happened?" Will asked nervously, feeling foolish that he couldn't remember what had happened to him.

"I-I'm not too sure, but you're safe now, I'm here, I'm walking you home," Mike reassured.

When Mike is walking Will home, Will is still very shaken up over what had happened; although he couldn't remember what it was, he knew it was a feeling he never wanted to reminisce.

There was a long silence between the two, both lost in their heads, thinking a million different things all at once; until a firecracker was popped in the distance did Will break out of his thought to jump at the sound.

"Hey... It's okay, Will," Mike said softly. Will just looks down, embarrassed that he feared almost everything; his thought was broken again when he glanced over at Mike, who had been staring at, what seemed, his hands.

Mike often liked to look at Will's hands, as weird as it sounded in his head, he thought about how they’re able to create imaginative art, but he mostly wondered what they would be like in his own hands, running his thumb over his knuckles, being gentle with the calluses on his palms from years of bike riding. He was tired of always wondering and overthinking.

When they’re close enough to Wills' house, Mike takes his hand and tells him again that he’ll be okay.

Will is so taken aback that he literally gasps, mentally face-palming himself for being so jumpy. He feels Mike's warm hand intertwined with his own, and he swears his heart skips a beat; Will expects Mike to let go after a second; and when he doesn’t, Will believes that things can be okay.


	3. Hands

They walk close side by side, hands intertwined, both quiet, looking at their shoes as if the answer to every worldly problem would surface from them; afraid that if someone spoke everything would fall apart; even going into the Byers home. Will squeezes Mike’s hand, his eyes wide, fearing that his mother would go after whatever was out there. Mike nods and doesn’t let go, they position their hands so no one can see and slowly enter the warm atmosphere.

 

“Hi, Ms. Byers” Mike said softly, fixing his arm so he could cover their hands a little better

 

“Boys? Will? What are you doing back so soon? Where are Lucas and Dustin?” Joyce asked, the nerves beginning to rise within her as she ran over to the living room from the kitchen.

 

“I-I… W-We just… I w-was…” Will trembled, squeezing Mike’s hand behind his back.

 

“We got pretty cold so Will and I decided to come here because we were close by,” Mike said confidently, and honestly, it left Will stunned at how easily and quickly he had come up with a story.

 

“Oh, well, I’m glad you came home then; are you going to take a shower to warm up honey?” Joyce asked, shaking Will’s slick brown hair.

 

“No, I’m just a little tired,” Will said, remembering that he was still holding Mike’s hand and blushing softly.

 

“Wanna go count our candy?” Mike suggests, slowly loosening his grip on Will’s hand.

 

“Um, yeah, sure,” Will answered, a small lump forming in his throat.

 

As they walk away joyce can’t help but notice their hands, she smiles; and when Bob enters he lets out a small gasp, Joyce directed him back to the kitchen.

 

“Bob we can’t assume anything, neither of the boys have said anything regarding… that.” Joyce whispers.

 

“No no no you’re right… After all, back in high school we had to shower with other boys of course a thought or two will cross your mind,” Bob smiles.

 

Joyce lets out a giggle, knowing deep inside that it wasn’t like that at all.

* * *

“Okay, you can look now,” Mike said quietly.

 

Will put his book down and turned around, seeing Mike’s curly wet hair and blushing softly.

 

“Ugh I know, I hate when it’s wet, but I needed a shower,” Mike said, trying to flatten his hair as best as he could, and flopping onto Will’s bed.

 

“N-No no, it’s not bad, I-I like it…” Will nervously admitted, sitting on the other side of his bed.

 

Neither of them say anything for a bit, the only sound reminiscing from Mike who was unwrapping a Razzle candy.

 

“Do you need an extra blanket?” Will asked after a few minutes of staring at Mike’s lips blowing a bubble with, his now discarded, gum candy.

 

“I think I’ll be okay,” Mike responded, tossing his wrapper in the air and catching it with his teeth.

 

“You’re gonna choke if that lands in your mouth,” Will said when Mike threw the wrapper for the third time.

 

“Nothing’s gonna happen Byers,” Mike said tossing the wrapper up again.

 

“Well… Don’t say I didn’t warn you… Also I don’t know CPR if you-” Will began, before the wrapper slipped into Mike’s mouth, throwing him into a coughing fit.

 

“Dang it, I told you” Will said, getting up and putting his arms around Mike’s waist and pressing hard on his abdomen, causing the blue wrapper to fly out of his mouth.

 

“Oh god, well isn’t that attractive” Mike said in between coughs, causing Will to laugh.

 

Will blushed, his arms still on Mike’s waist; he could smell his damp hair, his curls going into his face. Mike turned his face to look at Will, his face red, probably due to the coughing Will thought.

 

_ “Why is he staring at me? Is there something on my face?”  _ Will thought, feeling self-conscience yet again.

 

“Will?” Mike said softly, still staring into his eyes.

 

“Y-Yes, Mike?” Will responded timidly, swallowing hard.

 

“I… am… indebted to you my friend, you saved me.” Mike said, breaking out into a huge grin, his hand moving to Will’s cheek.

 

“O-Oh, it’s n-no big deal, I may n-not know CPR b-but I-I do know the heimlich,” Will said, his face burning red, he wondered if Mike could feel the heat radiating from his cheek.

 

“Either way, thank you” Mike said, breaking from Will’s embrace to take a sip of water.

 

“Y-Yeah, don’t mention it.” Will said, his heart racing.


	4. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "...but this felt different, just like the kiss..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi lads,
> 
> Sorry I was ia for a hot minute but I'm back with a new chapter and I hope you enjoy!
> 
> \- j (they/them)

* * *

Everything these days happened too fast for Will, he had a hard time remembering things as it was, but this was too much.

 

Will woke up with a hard gasp around three in the morning, the nightmare of being back in the upside down feeling all too real.

 

“Will! Will! It’s okay, you’re h-home, it’s Mike, I-I’m here” Mike whispered, quickly getting out of the sleeping bag on the floor and moving up to Will’s bed.

 

“M-Mike?” Will uttered, eyes wide as the dark haired boy sat next to him, thighs touching.

 

“Yeah, it’s me, Mike.” Mike repeated, placing his hand on Will’s, debating whether he should hold it or not; _“Well it worked last time…”_ he thought quickly.

 

Will winced slightly at the touch; _“God I’m pathetic…”_ Will thought before his breathing began to get to more shallow.

 

“Shhhh… Will it’s okay, you’re safe; in your bed, in your home, with me.” Mike tried to list off as many comforting things before he took the smaller hand into his own, intertwining their fingers like they had done earlier that night.

 

Will felt like he was underwater; struggling to breathe, his limbs weak. “M-Mike I-I t-think I’m dying-g…” Will trembled, barely able to feel Mike’s hand in his own.

 

 _“Oh god, what do I do? Do I get Joyce? She’s probably sleeping I don’t want to just disturb her…”_ Mike’s thoughts were racing, now holding both of Will’s hands in his own.

 

“I-I’m gonna help you Will, I promise, just focus on me, please try…” Mike turned Will’s face to look at him, seeing his wide eyes through the darkness of the room, as he held Will’s thin and warm face in his hands.

 

“M-Mike… I f-feel it all over… It’s n-never going s-stop… I’m b-broken….” Will said, hot big tears streaming down from his eyes onto to Mike’s hands.

 

“N-No Will, y-you’re not broken… Y-You had something bad happen… b-but you have so many people that-that love you… we love you Will… I l-love you, y-you’re my best friend…” Mike stuttered, knowing he had crossed a personal line, mentally cursing at himself, he’d deal with it later.

 

“W-Why would anyone love someone as broken a-as me?...” Will breathed out, feeling like running to the bathroom and hiding away, hiding this part of him from Mike.

 

 _“God, what do I do…?”_ Mike thought, over and over.

 _“I can’t… I shouldn’t… But it’s worth a shot, if it calms him down, that’s what matters…”_ Mike chewed on his bottom lip, lost in thought.

 

“I-I s-should j-just g-go…” Will muttered, moving Mike’s hands from his face, holding them for a minute, trying to gain a least a tiny spot of courage to get up.

 

“W-Wait… W-Will… Don’t go…” Mike mumbled before whispering; “Fuck it…”

 

Another thing that happened so fast. Will was so focused on trying to get up he had barely realized what the curly haired boy was saying. Next thing he knew, he was breathing, he knew he had always been breathing but this breath was different.

 

Mike had leaned in quickly, intending for the action to go by fast as well, but something washed over him, he felt that this was the best way to protect Will.

 

The moment felt tender despite the circumstances; Will was holding onto Mike’s hands when Mike had leaned in and closed the gap between them, Will took a bit to realize what was happening, but when he did, he closed his eyes slowly and savored the moment; Mike’s lips tasted of berry candy and mint toothpaste, he wanted to remember that moment specifically.

 

Mike’s hands stayed in Will’s, his thumbs rubbing Will’s knuckles gently, feeling the boy’s shaking diminishing with time. He slowly pushed Will back onto the bed, laying him down, trying to keep their lips together, he lay on top of Will, careful as to not squish him, feeling more comfortable in this new position.

 

“W-What are you doing?...” Will said suddenly, his head a little dizzy from the lack of air.

 

“Do you want to stop?” Mike responded softly, his hooded eyes staring at Wills’ in the dark.

 

“I-I mean… W-Why did you lay me down… Y-You don’t want to… you know…” Will answered honestly, his cheeks feeling hot as he stared into Mike’s eyes, trying to find an answer in them but failing due to the darkness.

 

“No! No, no, n-no. I was thinking w-we could just… keep doing this? I thought it would be more comfortable for you to lay back down…” Mike responded, quickly getting off of the smaller boy when he shared what he was insinuating.

 

“O-Oh, okay good…” Will mumbled, sighing in relief.

 

Mike moved to lay beside Will, neither of them saying anything, both just lost in their own heads after what had just happened.

 

“D-Did you do that… just to make me feel better? B-Because I won’t hold it against you or whatever if it was a mistake, I understand.” Will asked, his heart sinking slightly.

 

“Will… You know I like El… I was gonna ask her on a date tonight…” Mike responded, mentally cursing at himself for hurting Will even more. Will closed his eyes, trying to hold back tears, he knew it was too good to be true.

 

“B-But... Part of the reason I-I did it was because I wanted to help you… and… another part wasn’t because of that…” Mike responded, his face feeling flushed, he was grateful for the dark in that moment.

 

“Another part?...” Will said out loud.

 

“Y-Yeah… Part of me… wanted to, Will.” Mike said, turning onto his side, he had always told his friend the truth, why lie now?

 

“O-Oh…” Will wasn’t entirely sure how to respond, he had a hundred questions racing through his head, but he didn’t want to ruin anything.

 

“Was it okay?” Mike blurted out after a few minutes of silence.

 

“Um, I think so? I-I don’t have much experience to relate too…” Will responded, realized what he just said made his eyes widen slightly.

 

“Will, w-was that your first kiss?” Mike mumbled, his nerves shocking throughout his body.

 

“I mean… It’s… Y-Yeah, it was…” Will stuttered, feeling small again.

 

“B-But you told me you kissed Kate at the snowball,” Mike said, sitting up on his elbows to face Will.

 

“I, um, lied… Everyone was having their first kiss that night, Mike. I didn’t want you guys to think anything weird of me…” Will said, thinking about how he had used the word weird, was it weird to not want to kiss girls? He wondered.

 

“Will… There’s nothing weird about you... A-Also I kind of kissed El before the snowball… it was quick and awkward… I guess both were with her… But, kissing you felt really different…” Mike said, laying back down, facing the ceiling, he wondered why Will had only stayed on his back, maybe it was something on the ceiling he wasn’t seeing.

 

“O-Oh…” Will muttered, feeling his face warm up again.

 

An hour went by and Mike wondered if Will had fallen back to sleep, he was afraid to move in case he hadn’t, but he knew he should. Mike started to take the blanket off of his legs when he heard a soft voice.

 

“Are you okay?” Will said, his voice tiny and full of anxiety.

 

“Yeah, um, just going back to my spot, if that’s cool,” Mike responded, his heart aching when he heard Will’s tone.

 

“Y-You don’t have to… You can stay here if you want, the ground is pretty cold anyhow,” Will said quickly before he could stop himself.

 

“And you asked me if I wanted to do anything, now you want to keep me in bed Byers?” Mike smirked, giggling gently.

 

“N-No! It’s just more comfortable up here, but whatever, you decide.” Will said, smiling and blushing hard.

 

“Sure Will, thanks.” Mike said, laying back down and adjusting his pillow,

 

“No problem, Mike.” Will smiled.

* * *

 

 

“Boys! Time to get up!”

 

The early morning cold bit at Mike’s nose, he was about to pull the blanket over him when a rush of memories flooded back to his head, and he looked at the smaller boy cuddled up beside him. Will had crawled himself close to Mike when he fell back asleep, he curled into the taller boys’ side.

 

Mike’s felt his heart skip a beat as he looked at the smaller boy beside him, his cheeks holding a permanent dusty pink on them; the skip in his heart had only happen one other time; when El had put on one of his sisters old pink dresses, but this felt different, just like the kiss.


	5. Pancakes & Silver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone,
> 
> i'm very sad, so this chapter will be a lil sad, sorry.
> 
> tw in this chapter// body issues, self harm scar(s) mention(s)
> 
>  
> 
> \- j (they/them)

* * *

“More syrup, Mike?” Joyce said, pouring orange juice into a cold glass.

“I’m okay Joyce, thank you” Mike responded, biting his lower lip as they all waited for Will to come out of the restroom.

“William Byers! Your breakfast is getting cold and you have school in half an hour!” Joyce shouted down the hall, she was careful of her voice and tone.

“Coming!” shouted back a slightly muffled voice.

 

* * *

 

 _“You really are gross…”_ Will thought, looking at his shirtless body in the mirror.

Will stared intently at the faded crooked lines littering the side of his stomach and hips. He hated doing that to himself, he knew his mother would break if she ever found out, but this was the only way he felt in charge of something; he had lost control of his thoughts, feelings, and emotions; but with this, he got to decide.

His thoughts were broken by his mother calm, but firm, shout.

“Coming!” Will shouted back, cringing when his voice cracked slightly.  
  
He quickly put away the small sharp object in a lost sock, hiding it behind the water pipe under the sink; he pulled on a long sleeve shirt, and walked out the door, leaving his secret behind.

 

* * *

 

“E-Everything alright?” Mike asked, his voice wavering as he got off his bike to walk, catching up to smaller boy who had fallen a few steps ahead.

“Yeah… Why?” Will chewed on his bottom lip, he had assumed that Mike wouldn’t bring anything up about their actions of the previous night.

“Nothing, you’re just extra quiet this morning,” Mike began kicking a rock to take some of his nerves out.

“Just really tired, didn’t sleep too well… you know.” Will responded, biting his lip harder when he realized he was getting closer to the subject.

“Uh, yeah,” Mike said, glancing over at Will taking his nerves out on his bottom lip. Mike stopped walking, clutching onto the handles of his bike he walked to the edge of the woods, staring out into the trees, breathing in the pine and wood in the air, the cold feeling good against his cheeks.

“Mike?” Will said, walking his bike over to the black haired boy.

“Will, come with me.” Mike said slowly, putting the pedal down on his bike to keep it from falling over, he reached his hand out to Will.

Will was taken aback at the request. _“What does he want? School starts in ten minutes, should I remind him? Idiot, of course he knows, don’t be such a buzzkill…”_ Will’s mind was too loud for him to actually say anything until his saw Mike with an extended hand to him. “Okay…” Will took Mike’s warm hand in his, it had become to feel normal, his anxiety had gone down significantly towards the act.

Mike smirked slightly as they began walking hand in hand, glancing down at their fingers intertwined together; he could finally see the colour in Will’s hands, how their skin looked beside each other. It was such a strange feeling to do this in the light of day, but Mike was glad he did, he wanted to see all the colour and brightness the darkness had hid the night before.

Will’s mind was going crazy fast with thoughts; _“Stop being a wimp and **just ask** where we’re going”._

  
“So, uh, w-where are we going, Mike?” Will mumbled; _“close enough…”_ he thought.

“I wanna show you this neat place I found last summer, I was gonna wait and show the whole gang when summer came again but I wanna see what it looks like cold,” Mike said, stepping over some rocks and twigs, holding onto Will’s hand, carefully maneuvering him to do the same.

 

* * *

The two boys had been walking for about five minutes when they reached a small dip in a hill, at the bottom there was a medium sized lake, a rope tied onto a tree on the other side, very worn due to all the swinging in the past. The same lake had a river connected to it so they heard the babbling of the water hitting the rocks.

“Wow, this is really cool Mike!” Will exclaimed, letting go of the taller boys hand to run down to a small old dock leading out into the water.

“How did you find this?” Will asked when Mike had walked over to him, avoiding the broken and rotting boards on the small dock, carefully squatting beside him, staring down into the mucky water.

“I was just walking around and stumbled across it, not that interesting of a story I know,” Mike blushed softly, laughing at his own remark.

Will smiled and drew streaks in the water with a long thin stick he had picked up. ~~~~

* * *

 

“Guess we missed first period…” Will chuckled after some time, anxiously chewing on his bottom lip, his arm wrapped arm around his own waist, his nails digging into his sides.

“Yeah, no worries though, I can fudge a note for us, and I’ll talk to your mom; she kind of loves me” Mike said smirking, striking a pose.

“Wait do that again” Will laughed, reaching into his backpack for his polaroid camera.

Mike held his superhero-like pose for a moment as he waited for the brown haired boy to get out the camera. When Will took the photo he shook it quickly as he put his camera away.

“Now we wait,” Will said with a small voice. Mike began skipping tiny pebbles across the lake, laughing proudly when it went more than two jumps.

 

“Mike… Can I ask you something?” Will said, keeping his voice low, his hand continuing to shake the photograph slowly.

“Sure thing, Byers” Mike said, feeling overwhelmingly confident that he had skipped a rock four times.

“Why’d we come here instead of school?” Will asked, placing the photo on his backpack and continuing to draw with the stick.

“Because I didn’t feel like going to that hellhole today? Didn’t feel like getting picked on? Just wanted to spend more time with you, I guess?” Mike said the end of that sentence softly, not knowing how Will would react.

“O-Oh, those are good reasons,” Will responded, his cheeks feeling warm.

 

 

“Is the picture done?” Mike asked after a short moment.

“Uh, yeah, I think so” Will responded, holding up the photo so the small rays of sun hit the image of the tall boy with a goofy smile.

“Ew! Will that’s horrible! Throw it into the lake!” Mike exclaimed, reaching for the image.

“No! It’s my camera I decide what happens to it!” Will responded, laughing as he fell back holding the photo to his chest.

Mike lunged forward to retrieve the photograph, throwing himself on top of the smaller boy.

“Give it, Byers!” Mike said, his face flushed with a big smile to match.

“Never! You’ll have to pry it from my cold dead hands!” Will laughed out, his legs trying to wiggle free from under the black haired boy.

“Guess I’ll just have to tickle it out of you…” Mike said with a smirk before his hands darted to Will’s sides, his fingers fluttering against his shirt.

“Don’t you dare!” Will shouted before he erupted into laughter.

Mike continued tickling Will’s sides until he saw a perfect moment to reach for the photo, he adjusted himself so he sat on Will’s hips, giving the smaller boy less a chance to escape.

“Gotcha now!” Mike exclaimed, looking down at the photo before something caught his eye. Red marks littered across his best friends sides, they looked fairly deep as well, they were misshaped and harsh, like they were meant to be there only for pain.

Mike quickly got off, his face showing only shock, it made Will instantly anxious.

“Mike? What’s going- What’s wrong?” Will asked, only to feel a cool breeze on his abdomen, he quickly fixed his shirt and stared at the boy in front of him.

“Will?...” Mike said, sitting closer, afraid of the conversation to come.

“N-No… Don’t…” Before Will could really say anything he was standing up and making his way to shore before a rotten board on the small dock gave in and sent him into the cold water.

 


	6. Breathe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone,
> 
> i'm sorry for this chapter, it's short but i needed to vent and this is what i came up with, i'll try to make it happier soon.
> 
> tw for this chapter//  
> big s*lf h*rm mentions (especially at the end), bad thoughts 
> 
> j (they/them)

“Come in,” 

 

Joyce peeked her head in before entered with a dinner tray occupying a bowl of chicken soup,  a small plate with crackers and toast, and a tall glass of apple juice.

 

“How you feeling, honey?” Joyce asked, setting the tray down and pulling out a thermometer from her robe pocket.

 

“I’m fine, mom, thank you for the food though,” Will stated quietly.

 

He hadn’t seen Mike in two days, it terrified him to the point he got sick, though he mostly thought it was because he had crawled out of a almost frozen lake and ran all the way home.

 

_ “Mike finally saw what a pathetic excuse of a person you are, he wants nothing to do with you…”  _ Will thought, day in and day out.

 

“Of course, sweetie; gimme a holler if you need anything, okay?” Joyce said, folding a shirt and putting it in its proper place.  

 

“Yeah, thanks mom,” Will said, staring at the broth in front of him.

 

* * *

 

“Hey Nancy, i-is Mike home?”

 

Will called the Wheeler household late in the evening, feeling embarrassed that he might be ruining their dinner.

 

“Yeah, he’s in the basement, want me to get him?” Nancy asked, sounding distracted by something.

 

“Sure, i-if he’s not busy,” Will forced himself to answer.

 

“Yeah one sec- MIKE IT’S WILL!” Nancy shouted, failing to cover the phone completely.

 

Will heard several thumps before he heard the voice that made his heart skip a beat everytime.

 

“Mike Wheeler speaking,” Mike greeted, a smile in his tone.

 

“H-Hi Mike, how you been? I haven’t heard from you,” Will asked, trying his best to contain himself, but just hearing Mike made him want to jump around.

 

“I’m okay, just dragging through school without you, how’re you feeling? That fever gone yet?” Mike asked, laughing out of the receiver.

 

“I- um, how’d you know I was sick?” Will asked, clearly confused.

 

There was a burst of laughter on the other end, one voice sounding higher than the other.

 

“What was that, Will?” Mike asked through chuckles.

 

“Um, I-I was asking-” before he could finish he heard someone call out to him.

 

“Hi Will! Feel better soon! We miss you!” the voice giggled.

 

“T-Thanks. Are you w-with Jane?” Will asked, his stomach dropping to his feet it seemed.

 

“Yeah! I’m finally showing her Ghostbusters and then maybe E.T if Hopper lets her sleepover,” Mike chuckled.

 

“E.T? I thought we were gonna watch that t-together?” Will stated, a small lump forming in his throat.

 

“Yeah, well, it’s been out for a while now and we haven’t so… I thought I’d watch it with El, plus I’ll answer all her questions.” Mike responded, the background quiet now. “Sorry man, we can watch it another time if you want? When you’re feeling better, maybe?” Mike said, his voice low.

 

“T-That’s not the point, Mike… We were supposed to do that together,” Will shook slightly, feeling smaller than normal.

 

“Will… I… Gotta go, El went to the bathroom but she’s probably waiting for me by now, I hope you feel better soon… I do miss you… Goodnight, Will.” Mike said, not waiting for a response before he put the phone back on the wall.

 

Will hadn’t realized he was crying until his tears fell onto his hands. It wasn't that he hated Jane, he didn't, he really enjoyed her, even sketched her once; but when she was with Mike something inside him felt like would break.

 

_ “He just tossed you aside… you deserve it, he’s with someone better, there’s no room for mess in his good life…” _

 

Will got up slowly, his body feeling heavy, mentally telling his feet to walk to the bathroom. He opened his bedroom door, feeling more air than his stuffy room.

 

_ “You deserve this, no one really wants you around… the person you care most about doesn’t. The only person who does is your mom and that’s cause she has to...you’re pathetic” _

 

“I know…” Will whispered at his reflection. He kneeled down under the sink, pulling out the cold sock.

 

_ “If you hadn’t called he wouldn’t have checked on you, you have to force others to talk or be around you, they don’t do it themselves… because no one really wants you.” _

 

“I know…” Will whispered again, his head had a million thoughts racing throughout, but all he could focus on was; 

 

_ “You’ve never tried your wrist…” _


	7. Jane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! my apologizes for being gone for so long, but I'm back with a new chapter hot off the press!
> 
> \- j (they/them)

Jane had been disappointed when she couldn’t accompany the group on the festivities of Halloween night, she had a simple ghost costume to match the boys and everything; and although she was happy to help Hopper in any way she could, she still felt like she missed out on some important childhood memories.

 

So when Hopper told her that Mike was asking for her over the phone, she became ecstatic.

 

“Hiya Mike! So good to hear from you!” Jane exclaimed, taking pride in how much her vocabulary had expanded in such short time.

 

“Hey El! You too! I was just asking Hopper i-if you’d like to come over and watch Ghostbusters? I know you’ve been wanting to watch it ever since I told you about my Halloween costume.” Mike asked.

 

“I’d love too! Maybe I could sleepover too? If that’s okay with you?” Jane responded, Hopper poked up from behind his newspaper to stare at his daughter.

 

“Uh, not sure what Hopper will say, but we can try!” Mike stated, enthusiasm in his tone.

 

“Alright! I’ll be there in 15 minutes!” Jane said gleefully, hang up the phone right after.

 

* * *

Upon arriving the Wheeler residence, Jane was greeted with a curly haired Mike.

 

“Mike! What happened to your hair? It looks like mine!” Jane exclaimed, eye widening slightly.

 

“Oh, haha, i-it gets like this after I shower, o-or when it’s wet.” Mike explained, attempting to fight a bright blush creeping over his face.

 

“It’s very cute, we can be twins!” Jane smiled, ruffling his hair a bit as they made their way down the stairs to the basement.

 

“You can just throw your stuff there and we can go back up to watch the movie?” Mike stated, shuffling some toys around to make space for their sleeping bags.

 

“Hey! We should invite Will! I haven’t seen him at school in days, I hope he’s alright.” Jane said, pulling out Hoppers navy blue sweater from her backpack, and slipping it on, it almost reached her knees, but it made her comfortable and feel safe.

 

“Um, no, Will’s sick, I called Joyce and she said he had a fever…” Mike responded, his mind wandering at the end of his sentence.

 

“Oh no, I hope it’s not too bad,” Jane simply said, staring at Mikes expression.

* * *

“Are you alright, Mike?” Jane questioned as they finished setting up their sleeping area.

 

“Uh, yeah El, I’m cool.” Mike responded blandly.

 

“You can tell me, Mike. What’s wrong? You’re kind of quiet.” Jane said, sitting criss cross on her sleeping bag.

 

“I don’t know, El… This isn’t something you can just say to anyone…” Mike said, biting his bottom lip with worry.

 

“I’m not just ‘anyone’ Mike, I’m your friend.” Jane said with a gently smile.   
  
“Alright, I guess… But you have to promise that anything we talk about stays here okay? You can’t tell anyone, not even Hopper, promise?” Mike blurted, his hands sweating and face getting warm.

 

“Okay, I promise.” Jane answered, slightly scared, but knowing she could take care of herself if need be.

 

“Okay… w-well… I guess I should start with you,” Mike began, sitting across from Jane, mimicking her sitting position. 

 

“M-Me?” Jane stuttered.

 

“I like you El, I have for a while, a crush, you know what that is right?” Mike said, his ears hot.

 

“Oh, yes, that’s when you like to kiss someone right?” Jane answered, turning her head slightly, as if she had to search for her answer.

 

“Kind of, I guess, it’s when you like someone as more than a friend, which could mean kissing… and stuff, b-but-” Mike cleared his throat, he didn’t want to be the one to have the sex talk with El.

 

“Anyways… I had a crush on you, which is why I kissed you in the past.” Mike continued, watching Jane expression, her features in child-like wonder as she took in all the new information in front of her.

 

“Had? As in past?” Jane pointed out, tucking her hair behind her ear.

 

“Y-Yeah… It’s not that I don’t like you, El, it’s just… I think, because you were the first girl to notice me, and I was the first person your age to be kind to you; we might have thought we could be something more than friends?” Mike explained, chewing the inside of his cheek.

 

“That makes sense to me,” Jane agreed, stretching out her legs so they wouldn't fall asleep.

“O-Oh! I didn’t expect you to agree but, cool.” Mike chuckled, sighing a bit now that that had been dealt with in some way.

 

“That’s all you wanted to tell me? You made it seem so scary Mike! I even thought about using my powers if you did something bad!” Jane laughed, laying flat on her back, feeling so content with her friend.

 

“I mean… there is something else, El.” Mike replied, deflating slightly.

 

“Okay well, I’m ready, go ahead” Jane said, sitting back up to her original position.

 

“It’s about Will… He’s… I t-think… I think he’s hurting himself…” Mike muttered, a shiver running through him at the memory.

 

“What do you mean, Mike? I don’t understand.” Jane responded worryingly, her eyebrows scrunching together in confusion.

 

“Um, I took Will to a lake, a-and we were messing around… His stomach… It had these scars, El, they looked like they hurt, and Will didn’t say anything… I think he hurt himself, with something, and that’s how he got the scars, Jane.” Mike breathed, a small amount of water forming in his eyes. He wished he had invited Will. 

 

“Why would he do that, Mike? Why wouldn’t he tell anyone he is hurting?” Jane replied softly, her mind thinking a million different things that she hadn’t notice Mike had called her Jane.

 

“I’m not sure… On Halloween night, he had something called a panic attack, do you know what that is?” Mike asked, looking up at Jane, her face filled with confusion and worry.

 

“I don’t think- No, I don’t.”Jane said after a small moment. 

 

“It’s… scary… Will kept saying he felt like he was dying, and he was having a hard time breathing, and he was shaking a lot, El… I think those attacks trigger him into hurting himself, in other words those attacks might hurt him so much they lead him to hurt himself physically.” Mike said, hoping some of it had made sense to the curly haired girl sitting across from him.  

 

“I think I understand, Mike… But, what would be the reason for these attacks?” Jane replied, following along closely to every word that came out of Mikes mouth.

 

“I think it might be from when he was kidnapped and taken to the Upside Down,” Mike answered. “It was something traumatic, something so scary it changed him forever.” Mike said, thinking out loud.

 

“Traumatic. Yes, I know that word…” Jane mumbled, looking down at her lap. “How can we help him? He shouldn’t be hurting himself because something bad happened to him, he didn’t control that in any way… I don’t understand that part.” Jane stated, picking the lint off her large sweater. 

 

“I-I don’t either, El… I have to talk to him about it… It’s just hard with everything that happened on Halloween night-” Mike stopped, looking up at Jane, who looked right back. 

 

“What else happened that night, Mike?” Jane asked, sitting up slightly.

 

“I, uh… W-We… I-I was walking W-Will back to his house… h-he was coming down f-from a panic attack… and I held his hand, it helped him, made him feel safe? I don’t know…” Mike stuttered, playing with a loose piece of string he pulled from his sleeve.

 

“That’s okay, Mike, you were comforting him, why does that bother you?” Jane asked.

 

“L-Later that night… he h-had another panic attack… and… I kissed him, El… I kissed Will.” Mike let out a shaky breath, he hadn’t realized he was holding in.

 

“Hmm… Well… Does that mean you have a crush on Will?” Jane asked, watching Mike closely.

 

“N-No! I-I… H-He’s my best friend… I-I can’t… T-They say that gay people g-get sick, i-i don’t know if that’s true, b-but I don’t want t-to…” Mike stammered, his body shaking slightly as tears poured down his cheeks.

 

“Gay? What does that mean? Troy said that the day I made him pee himself in the gym at school… Is it bad?” Jane asked, scooting closer to Mike, taking his hand into her own.

 

“Yes! N-No?... I-I don’t know… I-It’s relationship of two people who’re the same gender, b-but they have a crush on each o-other… e-even l-love each other…”Mike explained, his chest starting to hurt as he spoke.

 

“What’s wrong with that? You can’t control who you love, why should other people try to do that? If you and I can kiss after knowing each other for only a few days, I don’t see what’s wrong with kissing someone you’ve known since you were little. You know the real Will Byers, that love makes sense to me, Mike.” Jane explained, comforting her crying friend by hugging his shoulders.

 

“I-I guess y-you’re right… I don’t know… He didn’t push me away, he even told me to stay in his bed that night, I held him, I held his hand…” Mike reminisced, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

 

“And did that make you feel happy?” Jane asked in a sweet tone, her hand rubbing circles into her friends back.

 

“M-Maybe?... I think so… He was warm, and small; he fit against me like a puzzle piece…” Mike responded, his cheeks a soft hue of pink.

 

“Aw, Mike, that was so sweet!” Jane giggled, poking his side softly.

 

“El! Come on!” Mike blushed bright red, hiding his face in his pillow, hearing the phone ring in the distance.

_ “MIKE! IT’S WILL!”  _ Nancy shouted from the kitchen. 

 

“Ooooo! Let’s go!” Jane laughed, already running up the stairs.

 

“Eleven! Wait up!” Mike shouted back, his face hot.

  
  
  



End file.
